August 19, 2009

Beyond Burnham: Area residents weigh in on transit plans for 2040; many favor denser communities

Schaumburg resident Mike Williams never realized road construction costs would decrease if more people moved into condominium buildings.

At a recent workshop on planning for the future, he learned such a change also would reduce commute times, energy use -- even government and individual household costs.

"I remember there were some surprising things that came out of that," he said. "It just made me think we can't leave things the way they are. If we leave things the way they are, it won't be a good future."

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) for about two more weeks is giving northeast Illinois residents a chance to weigh in on every aspect of plans to guide development and transportation in the region through 2040.

So far, feedback from more than 4,000 residents throughout the Chicago area has been remarkably similar, CMAP officials said.

"For me, that's one of the more interesting things we've found," said Bob Dean, principal regional planner. "We are hearing very consistent results. It's good for a regional plan like this."

The majority of people want denser communities and greater protection of the environment and investment in transit, he said.

The support for denser communities is a surprise, said CMAP Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn. Density would mean residents live closer together in taller buildings, where people used to prefer homes on large lots in exurban areas, he said.

Mary Wells, who also attended a recent workshop in Schaumburg, said although she doesn't want to live in a high-rise, she would be willing to move to a larger building to better share a water system, roadways and transportation with her neighbors.

"The more closely you live together the fewer public goods you need," said Wells, a Park Ridge resident.

So far, more than 160 people have attended workshops in the north and northwest suburbs. People also can weigh in or find information on other meetings at goto2040.org.

Blankenhorn said he understands that it's difficult for people to think 30 years ahead, especially when they're worried about their children's education next year or having a job tomorrow.

But he pointed to the transit system as a reason to plan ahead.

The current system works for people traveling to Chicago. But there is no public transportation available to take people from one suburb to another. Even Chicago residents who would take trains to work in the suburbs would have difficulty actually getting from the station to their jobs.

"Those [job patterns] are the things we obviously didn't anticipate 30 years ago," Blankenhorn said. "We need to have been thinking about this all along."

Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder, who serves on CMAP's Transportation Committee, said she's hopeful the 2040 blueprint will spell out a plan for a new mode of public transportation to connect all the suburbs. Now residents have no choice but to get in their cars, she said. The plan also needs to link all transportation systems.

"It should be in the 2040 plan so people start planning for it today," she said. "Projects of this magnitude take decades."

By state and federal law, CMAP must produce the region's official, integrated plan for land use and transportation for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties.

During the fall, CMAP will design a "preferred scenario." The regional plan will be put in final form in 2010.

Comments

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"But there is no public transportation available to take people from one suburb to another."

Gimme a break. This is one of the key missions of Pace, and has been for years. It doesn't provide the fastest service, but that's largely because of the same suburban traffic that snarls motorists.

Blame must also be placed on suburban officials, who for the most part refuse to allow major employment centers near train stations. A few condo buildings next to a Metra station are nice, but office buildings are needed also.

Has anyone ever visited the multiple websites related to CMAP and their 2040 plan? Anyone gone through the drivel, bureaucratic tripe and looked at the overhead we're supporting for this? And what do we get from this morass? A plan based on feedback from 4,000, out of a total regional population of what? A plan based on 160 people attending some workshops in the far northwest suburbs????? Yeah, they're building a real REGIONAL mandate. Too bad they don't want to commute themselves too far from their own homes to do their work. Yeah, I just bet they want better commuting options...in Schaumburg. How about some way to commute from Oak Brook to Orland Park. You can't even do that on Pace; and if you want to do it on Metra you have to spend several hours, at least $10 dollars and travel downtown on the way.

Are these the same people who planned a Chicago rail hub under Clinton Street between Oglivie and Union Stations and then ignored Pace's plans for BRT routes and didn't plan for any connections to them?

From CMAP's website:
"...projects for additional lanes on I-90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) and I-88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway). Additional lanes on I-90, with a minimum 3-lane cross-section in each direction, are planned to extend to the western edge of the region, and beyond to the Rockford area. A short extension of the planned additinal lanes on I-88 would extend a 3-lane cross-section to the Illinois Route 56 interchange east of Sugar Grove. "

Doesn't sound like they're supporting increased densities or more compact neighborhoods, exactly the opposite: sprawl is their goal.

From the last brochure issued by CMAP (Shared Path 2030):
"Perhaps most of all, Shared Path 2030 benefited from the direct involvement of many residents of the region. ... Shared Path 2030 included focused outreach among community leaders in minority and low-income neighborhoods"

Would those residents contributing so much to CMAP's findings from "low-income", probably inner-city, neighborhoods want more of the same? More density, more public transportation options? Is this really a representative sampling for the REGION?

continuing from their 2030 plan document:
"The agency has formed a Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which is tasked with providing guidance on the Public Participation Plan and CMAP’s overall general outreach and engagement strategies, as well as conveying regional residents’ perspectives to the CMAP Board. In addition to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, the Council of Mayors structure, a new committee comprised of county officials, and general outreach activities will be used to obtain input from the public and agency partners regarding all aspects of planning and programming."

I have to say they're doing a pretty poor job of reaching out to the public. I'm probably more attune to public transit issues and transportation issues than most in the region and I've never, ever, seen mention of any public meetings or requests for public commentary before this.

"the 2030 RTP recognizes the role transportation investment patterns play in
the long-term sustainability of the region."

And yet, they're killing off Pace Bus route 714 that was used by almost 300 people daily between Naperville and Wheaton? Because in the SHORT TERM, it didn't meet what? goals? Did they state those goals before they got 300 people hooked and relying on using that route every day? Didn't their long range planning tell them that a) that route wasn't needed or b)?? Again, some poor performance by CMAP.

"The RTP is principally concerned with “regular daily travel.” It accounts for a broad spectrum of socioeconomic activity’s effect on the performance of our transportation system. Most specifically, the RTP assesses the demands placed on our transportation system by the workers and businesses that sustain our region’s economic health. The plan also, however, assesses the need to preserve and improve the community and environmental attributes which provide the bases (sic) for our region’s quality of life."

And yet, looking at the board members for this agency, I see mayors, county board members and township supervisors. I'm sorry, but I don't see these people as commuters, as regular public transit users, as "right" for this job.

All in all, all things considered, the CMAP has done a poor job. Is ill-focused, poorly staffed, and mismanaged. Perfect for the State of Illinois.

I'm a planner, though not with CMAP or any gov't agency, and I'm not sure why there is so much hostility toward CMAP's outreach program. 4,000 people is pretty good, given how busy people are with the here-and-now of their own lives. People don't even want to be surveyed these days; so relying on the proactive participation of people going to meetings or logging onto project websites remain the preferred, most cost-effective and least privacy-invasive strategies in the region. But if anyone has some other thoughts or ideas for better tapping into public opinion, please do share.

How CMAP uses the input collected, and whether they allow new/innovative ideas from the public to affect their course of planning (rather than justify their own desired path) may be more revealing about the sincerity of the new and improved organization.

Who said "We must all live in high-rise buildings"? High rise buildings are illegal in most of this country, and most likely in your community. Check your zoning laws.

Some people can choose to live in low density while other people can live in higher-density buildings, which in some cases may be high-rises. There is demand for a wide variety of living arrangements. I live in an apartment building. It's no threat to your freedom!